The present invention relates in general to magnetic brush development apparatus for applying developer material to a latent image in an electrostatographic reproduction apparatus, and more particularly to an improved magnetic brush development apparatus including a device for facilitating mounting of the take-off skive.
Magnetic brush development apparatus for applying developer material to a latent image in an electrostatographic reproduction apparatus are well known in the art. Such apparatus may include a housing having a sump portion which contains a supply of developer material. When the developer material comprises a mixture of magnetic carrier particles and smaller pigmented marking particles, the material in the sump is agitated to triboelectrically charge the material prior to delivering it to a magnetic brush where it can be brought into association with, and transferred to, an electrostatic latent image to develop such image.
Copending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 597,323, filed Apr. 6, 1984 in the names of Joseph now U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,132, issued Dec. 12, 1989, et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,207, issued June 9, 1987, in the name of Hilbert disclose magnetic brush development apparatus particularly suitable for use with developer material having pigmented marking particles and permanent magnetic carrier particles, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,060, issued Oct. 8, 1985, in the names of Miskinis et al. More particularly, the disclosed apparatus include a ribbon blender that is used for agitating (mixing), feeding and triboelectrically charging such material in the sump portion of a magnetic brush development apparatus, and a feed mechanism that delivers material from the sump portion to a magnetic brush. The material delivered to the magnetic brush is applied to the latent electrostatic image in a development zone to develop the image. A take-off skive, in contact with the magnetic brush downstream of the development zone, strips excess developer material from the magnetic brush and returns such material to the sump portion.
It has been found that under certain conditions the mounting of the take-off skive imposes a force on the magnetic brush which causes excessive torque in the rotation of the magnetic brush. Such excessive torque causes heat build up and accelerated wear of the skive and the magnetic brush, and induces production of development material flakes between the skive and the magnetic brush. These flakes result in undesirable artifacts being produced in the developed image.